Trapped: Walls in Arthur Miller’s “A Death of a Salesman”

The theme of walls and buildings in Arthur Miller’s “Death of a Salesman” is important to the play. Going through walls represents going back to the past to re-enact the situations that are vital to the story telling of the main characters of the play. Walls play an important part in separating the past from the present, and in some cases, the real past from the imagined past. Willy Lohman created an alternate reality for himself because of his inability to achieve his goals and fulfill his dreams. Buildings represent Willy being closed in, as well as his loss of freedom.

To indicate that the play is taking place in the present, the actors follow the boundaries of the walls. “Whenever the action is in the present the actors observe the imaginary wall-lines, entering the house only through its door at the left” (Miller 1825). When the scene is taking place in the past, the characters break the boundaries of the walls-- “But in the scenes of the past these boundaries are broken, and characters enter or leave a room by stepping ‘through’ a wall onto the fore

. . .

View the whole essay, without interruption

The house helps the Loman family remember better times in their lives. The family uses the house to escape the reality that they are now dysfunctional, preferring instead to remember when the family was happy. We are aware of towering, angular shapes behind it, surrounding it on all sides” (1824). If they ever were truly happy, one can only wonder. Willy hates the idea of being closed in by other houses.

Willy’s house most importantly represents Willy being boxed in. His lack of boundaries lets him remember things the way he wants to remember them, exemplified when he remembers Ben as being rich and someone to look up to. Willy spends the entire play attempting to break free of the trappings of the outside world, which could be represented by the walls or the buildings around them. Happy doesn’t feel content with what he has, but since his father has instilled in him the belief that money will make you happy, Happy believes he has accomplished what he always wanted to. And I think of all the rent I’m paying.

Walking through walls represents Willy’s lack of boundaries and lets him release himself of the physical world and forget his troubles. He goes back to the past to escape his own expectations. Willy says, “Well, that’s a great thing. Willy remarks, “The way they have boxed us in here.

Walls and buildings are an important part of Death of a Salesman.

Approximate Word count = 720
Approximate Pages = 3 (250 words per page double spaced)

Simply subscribe to view this paper, and 100,000 others.